Pass case



29,1955 D. J. BROUGHTQM 2,705,038

PASS CASE Filed March 22, 1952 HNVENTOR BYMV 14L ATTOR EYS United States Patent PASS CASE Douglas J. Broughton, Springfield, Mass., assign0r to Buxton, Incorporated, Springfield, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 22, 1952, Serial No. 278,053

2 Claims. (Cl. 150-39) This invention relates to an improvement in pass cases and more particularly to pass cases in which the display envelopes in which the pass cards or other material are displayed are removably secured in the cover of the pass case.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a securing means which will firmly hold or clamp the envelopes in the case whether the case is loaded to capacity or whether only a minimum number of envelopes are present in the case.

Other and further objects residing in the details of construction will be made apparent in the following specification and claims, and in the disclosure of the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the case open;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the case closed, parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, the parts being in envelope securing position;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the hold ing means released and indicating the manner in which pass cases are inserted and removed from the case;

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the envelope holding spring on a larger scale; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view substantially on line 7--7 of Fig. 4, but on a larger scale.

Referring to the drawings the case is shown as comprising a strip 1, formed of leather, plastic or other suitable material, and provided with a transverse hinge or folding zone 2 about which the end sections of the strip may be folded one on the other.

The display envelopes are shown as comprising flattened tubular lengths 4 of transparent material such as cellophane, the envelopes being connected in pairs by flexible hinge strips 5, the side edges of the strips 5 being inserted in and cemented or otherwise secured to the adjacent end portions of the tubular envelopes.

The hinge Zone 2 of the cover strip is provided with spaced openings 6 and the hinge strips 5 are provided with similar openings 7, the openings 7 of the several hinge strips being aligned with each other and with openings 6 in the cover when the envelopes are in position in the case.

The means for releasably holding or clamping the envelopes in the case comprises a stifily flexible bar 8 from the ends of which arms 9 and 10 extend at right angles to the bar. A channel member 11 is hinged, at one end to arm 9, as indicated at 12, the channel opening toward the bar 8. The free end of the channel member 11 is formed with an opening 13 through which the free arm 10 extends, the latter being formed with a hook 14 adapted to releasably engage over the outer end edge of opening 13 under the spring action of bar 8, as best shown in Fig. 4.

Inwardly of hinge 12 and opening 13 the edge portions of the sides of the channel are locally bent or pinched toward each other as at 15 (Fig. 7). The pinched portions 15 provide means for holding a leaf spring 16 within the channel of member 11. The central portion of spring 16 extends outwardly of the channel toward the bar 8.

Preferably one of the portions 15, preferably that portion 15 which is adjacent opening 13, is pinched sufficiently tight so that the end of the spring engaged behind it is held against movement, while the opposite end of the spring is free to slide between the web of the channel and the adjacent pinched portion 15, but is prevented by the portion 15 from movement outwardly of the channel. If desired both ends of the spring may be permitted limited sliding movement.

As shown in Fig. 5, when channel member 11 is released from hook 14 and is swung upwardly into alignment with arm 9, the channel member with arm 9 and free arm 10 can be threaded through openings 6 in the cover and openings 7 in the hinge strip of one or more pairs of display envelopes to position the latter against the cover, spring 16 yielding from dotted line to full line position to permit passage of the cover and hinge strip over the channel member. The channel member is then i wung downwardly to engage opening 13 as shown in The normal outward bow of spring 16 is suflicient so that when even one pair of display envelopes is in the case its hinge is held firmly against the inner surface of cover 1 and bar 8 is held firmly against the outside of the cover at the hinge zone. When more pairs of display envelopes are inserted the spring yields to accommodate them, the free end of the spring sliding between the web or base wall of the channel of member 11 and the pinched portions 15 of the side walls. The engagement of arms 9 and 10 in openings 7 of the hinge strips substantially prevents lateral and longitudinal movement of the envelopes. Thus from minimum to maximum capacity the envelopes are clamped and held firmly in place within the case and a trim tight binding is assured.

It will be understood that the form of the spring and its manner of attachment to member 11 may be varied so long as a portion or portions of the spring yieldingly engage the hinge strips of the display envelopes to clamp the latter in place.

It will also be understood that the openings 7 may take any desired form such as open ended notches at the ends of the strip.

What is claimed is:

1. In a pass case which includes a cover having sections foldable one on the other about a hinge zone and pairs of transparent display envelopes, the members of the pairs being connected by hinge strips adapted to overlie the hinge zone of the cover, and means to releasably clamp one or more pairs of said display envelopes in hinged relation within the cover, that improvement in said releasable clamp which comprises a bar having arms extending from the ends of the bar at substantially right angles thereto, a member hingedly connected to one of said arms, and means carried by the other of said arms for releasably engaging the free end of said member, the hinge zone of the cover being provided with openings through which said member and said other arm of the bar may be threaded to position said bar against the outer face of the cover, a leaf spring carried by said member and including a bowed portion extending toward said bar, an end of said spring being free to permit said bowed portion to yieldingly engage the hinge strip of a pair of said display envelopes positioned between said arms to yieldingly clamp said hinge strip against the inner face of the hinge zone of the cover when said free end of the member is engaged by said other arm.

2. A clamp, for releasably securing pairs of pass case envelopes connected by apertured hinges to an apertured cover, which comprises a stiflly flexible bar having arms extending from the ends thereof at substantially right angles thereto and insertable through the apertures of the envelope hinges and cover, a channel member hingedly connected at one end to one of said arms with the open side of the channel facing said bar, the other end of said channel member having an opening, a hook formed on the other arm and engageable in said opening, when the channel member and bar are in parallel relation, to releasably lock said member thereto, and a leaf spring positioned within the channel member, portions of the side walls of the channel being pressed inwardly over the spring to retain the latter in said position, the central portion of the spring being bowed outwardly of the channel to yieldingly engage and clamp the envelope hinges and cover between the bar and spring when said hook is engaged in said opening.

(References on following page) UNITED STATES PATENTS Bauman Apr. 28, 1914 Smykal June 22, 1915 5 4 Harris May 15, 1923 Burgstaller May 2, 1933 Dawson Oct. 15, 1935 Swetlik Sept. 26, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain May 2, 1894 

